Zvërnec Monastery
Manastiri i Shën Mërisë, Zvërnec
A 13th-century Byzantine Virgin Mary monastery on a small island in Narta Lagoon, reached by a long wooden boardwalk. The setting is picturesque.
The Zvërnec Monastery of the Virgin Mary was built in the 13th century on a small pine-covered island between Narta Lagoon and the sea. A wooden boardwalk of about 300 m links it to the shore, with reed beds and shallow water all around. The monastery is a small stone chapel in the Byzantine style, with surviving fragments of wall paintings. Pilgrims gather here on 15 August for the Feast of the Assumption. Entry is free. The monastery lies about 15 km from the city centre, roughly 20 minutes by car. Nearby on the seashore are sandy beaches and Second World War bunkers.
Opening hours
Open daytime (approx. 09:00 until sunset)
Nearby sights
- Narta Lagoon
- Independence Monument (Flag Square)
- Ethnographic Museum of Vlorë
- Muradie Mosque
- Kuzum Baba
- National Museum of Independence
- Vlorë Lungomare
- Sazan Island